A practical guide / Care homes
How can care homes use AI?
Care homes can use AI to prepare care plan reviews from staff notes. It can also draft shift handovers and family updates. Begin with what staff saw and what the resident said. Add the action that followed.
Start with a review sheet for one resident. Sort the notes around their preferences and daily support. Use the format below to bring staff notes into the review discussion.
Prepare a care reviewBring dated observations and residents’ preferences into the review.
Prepare the discussion about the person
Choose a review period and gather the relevant daily notes, current plan and recorded preferences. Ask AI to group the notes by topic. Cover routines, communication, activities and meals. Add mobility and relationships where these matter to the review. Include the note date beside each note.
More on this step
Add a section for the resident’s own words. A preference for a quieter breakfast or a later activity deserves a clear place in the review. Keep reported comments attributed to the person who made them. This lets the reviewer distinguish the resident’s wishes from a relative’s request or a staff note.
Finish with questions for the review meeting. Link each question to a note and name who should join the discussion. Notes about missed activities can prompt a useful question. What time of day would the resident prefer?
A review sheet built from daily notes
Example with made-up details: three evening notes record that Resident A enjoyed listening to music after supper. Two morning notes say they preferred breakfast in a quiet room. A weekend note records a request to join the gardening group.
More on this step
The review sheet has three entries. Evening routine: music after supper, logged on three evenings. Breakfast preference: quiet space, logged on two mornings. Activity request: gardening group, raised at the weekend. Each entry links to its dated note.
The review agenda asks the resident about these choices and whether they want them reflected in the plan. Staff can begin with clear notes and give the resident room to explain what matters to them.
Keep the next shift focused on actions
Give the handover four parts. Cover changes on the shift, actions taken, work due next and who is responsible. Ask AI to gather these from the shift record and sort them by resident ID. Keep the time of each note visible.
More on this step
Separate a note from a request for follow-up. “Resident asked about a family visit” belongs with the logged discussion. “Day team to check the visit time” belongs in the action list. Use a status such as awaiting reply or finished when the source supports it.
Give the incoming team a short overview followed by the resident entries. Keep routine background in the care record. Focus the handover on what the next shift needs. Add the record link so staff can read the detail when needed.
Write a family update with a clear purpose
Agree the subject and reader before drafting. Supply the activities, discussions or plans the team has chosen to share. Ask for a short, warm update using everyday language. Include a question or next step where a family response would help.
Use headings for recent activities, preferences shared and upcoming plans. For a visit update, give the planned date and the contact who will check it. For a review invitation, explain what the meeting covers and how the resident will be involved.
Save a reusable outline with greeting, purpose, agreed update, next action and contact details. Staff can then adapt the content for each discussion. This keeps updates personal while giving busy colleagues a reliable way to begin a draft.
The care, record and privacy duties
In England, CQC Regulation 9 centres care on assessed needs and preferences. The person must be involved in planning and review. Regulation 17 requires secure, accurate, complete and contemporaneous care records. The care team approves plan changes and records the care actually given.
Health information is special category data. The ICO explains that processing needs an Article 6 lawful basis and an Article 9 condition. Agree the tool, access, retention and lawful sharing plans before using resident information. Confirm who may receive a family update and what may be shared. Use fictional resident notes while building these templates.
Read the source: CQC: Regulation 9, person-centred care; CQC: Regulation 17, good governance; ICO: special category data
Try a practical task
Create a resident review preparation sheet
Prepare for a care plan review using these fictional daily notes and this current plan. Cover [review period] and use our headings: [headings].
Try this in your AI app
ChatGPT
Claude
Gemini
CodexUsing Gemini? The button copies the prompt. Paste it into the new chat.
Group dated notes by topic. Keep the resident’s recorded preferences and quote their words only where the source contains them. Attribute staff notes and family comments separately.
For each topic, show the current plan entry, relevant notes and a question to discuss with the resident. Gather existing follow-up actions with their logged owner and status. Finish with a one-page agenda for the review meeting. Leave the care team space to record the resident’s views and agree any plan changes during the review.
Questions about this task
Can we use the same format for every resident?
Keep common headings for navigation, then adapt the topics to the person’s routines, communication and support. A useful preparation sheet reflects the individual and brings their own preferences into the review.
How much detail belongs in a handover?
Include developments and actions the next shift needs to follow. Link back to the full care record for background. Agree the handover headings with the staff who give and receive it so the format fits the shift.